Over the last year or so, we've been seeing a whole slew of new 'smart' devices hittingthe lawn and garden market, all of which leverage the connected technology of the IoT trend to save time and conserve water, and the new Blue Marble irrigation system is no different in that regard.

The irrigation controller from Blue Marble serves as the central hub for the system, connecting to the web for weather information, and to an accompanying app for controlling scheduling adjustments and viewing garden sensor data. The remote drip system and sprinkler valves installed throughout the yard are then managed by the hub according to either the actual conditions in the garden, as relayed by a system of soil sensors, or on a timer.

Those are all pretty standard features in the emerging trend of smart irrigation systems, along with the ability for the controllers to be wired to existing irrigation valves, but where the Blue Marble system seems to set itself apart is through its choice of communication method (via radio, as well as WiFi) and its claim of being battery-free.